Douglas Model 423

Heavy Bomber Design Proposal [ 1944 ]

The Douglas Model 423 was intended for the heavy bomber role with the USAAF prior to the American entry in World War 2 - it was not furthered beyond a proposal.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/05/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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By the middle of 1941, World War 2 as in full swing and American authorities looked into the possibility of the United States being pulled into the conflict - particularly if allied Britain were to fall as did France. This spurred the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) to seek out a new all-modern, long-range heavy bomber with capabilities to fly outside of the reach of enemy air defenses (including interceptors) and far into enemy-held territory. Douglas aircraft was one of the firms to respond to the requirement and delivered their Model 423 as a result. The competition was eventually won by a design put forth by Consolidated which went on to become the post-war B-36 "Peacemaker".

The Douglas entry relied on 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "Wasp Major" air-cooled radial piston engines, each outputting 3,000 horsepower. As drawn up, the aircraft exhibited a length of 35.75 meters with a wingspan reaching 63.09 meters and a height of 14.5 meters. Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) was in the vicinity of 90,000 kilograms. Douglas engineers suggested their aircraft could have a range out to 9,654 kilometers.

Internally there would be a crew of eight to man the various positions about the aircraft. One key physical characteristic of the design was its pilot's set within individual bubble-style canopy cockpits along the forward section of the airframe. The bomb bay would hold upwards of 11,340 kilograms of conventional drop munitions. Up to six 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns, set in three remote-controlled power-operated turrets (one dorsally, one ventrally, one at the tail) would be featured to defend the aircraft from enemy fighters.

In the end, the Model 423 fell by the wayside as the Consolidated B-36 program was selected and pushed to operational-level service. A first-flight of a prototype was had in August of 1946, at which time the war was all but over, and service entry occurred in 1949 - much too late to make any sort of impact in World War 2.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1944

Origin

United States

Crew

8

Production

0
UNITS

Douglas Aircraft - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States (cancelled)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

117.3 ft
(35.75 m)

Width/Span

207.0 ft
(63.10 m)

Height

50.9 ft
(15.50 m)

MTOW

198,008 lb
(89,815 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Douglas Model 423 production variant)

Installed: 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360 "Wasp Major" air-cooled radial piston engines developing 3,000 horsepower each.

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Douglas Model 423 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

PROPOSED:
2 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns in forward dorsal turret.
2 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns in ventral turret.
2 x 37mm automatic cannons in tail position.

Up to 25,000lb of internally-held stores.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft heavy machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

Model 423 - Douglas company model deisgnation

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